3 positions of need for the Texas Rangers heading into the MLB Winter Meetings

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After claiming the Commissioner's Trophy for the first time in franchise history, the Texas Rangers will be looking to bolster their roster this offseason. With the MLB Winter Meetings next week in Nashville, there are several different directions that the team can attack their roster needs. Repeating as World Series champions is hard to do. GM Chris Young's game plan will be to first get back to the playoffs, and then hopefully have another historic postseason run.

The 2023 roster was stellar and yet injuries and underperformance at times cost the Rangers several wins within the regular season. Baseball is made up of offense, defense, and pitching. Perhaps the most import of those three areas is pitching, but without the other two pitching alone can only get you so far. The majority of the position players will be back for the 2024 campaign, but there are some places that can be improved upon as well.

Rotation wise, there are enough guys on the current roster to fill out a starting rotation, but there needs to be depth added and quality at the top end. The elephant in the room for the Rangers is their bullpen, and it will be interesting how Young decides to tackle that part of the pitching staff. One thing is for sure, this shouldn't have to be an offseason of full rebuild mode.

The Rangers will be returning all eight of the guys that ended the postseason as the everyday position players. That group is a strong one that includes an infield of Jonah Heim, Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Josh Jung. Barring a trade, the outfield will consist of Evan Carter, Leody Taveras, and Adolis Garcia.

Starting pitchers returning include Nathan Eovaldi, Max Scherzer, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning, and Andrew Heaney, not to mention Cody Bradford or any potential breakout minor leaguers. The bullpen will consist of postseason heroes Jose Leclerc and Josh Sborz. That is a ton of great players that not only played well together, but also showed that they can deliver on the biggest of stages.

Chris Young has shown that he likes to maintain a solid group of quality individuals that help make up a great team. So, what specific areas will the Rangers be targeting heading into the MLB Winter Meetings next week? Let's take a look.

Next: Offensive area of need for the Rangers

The Rangers are in the middle of the offseason and have no clear designated hitter option. With Mitch Garver leaving into free agency, there is not only a need for an upgrade, but a need for simply a person to fill that role. There are people within the roster that could possibly fill the spot, but it is unlikely that the Rangers will end the Winter Meetings, or at least the offseason, without addressing the DH position.

Should the Texas Rangers bring back Mitch Garver?

One option would be to bring back Garver and slot him into the spot. He loves playing in Texas and has expressed interest in coming back. While that is an option, I am not sure that is what the Rangers will choose to do. Health concerns have been an issue with Garver his entire time with the organization, and those aren't going to go away. Now, if they decide to not catch him unless in an emergency situation and instead carry Heim and a different backup catcher, then the health risk would go down dramatically. Garver will be 33 years old in January and it is unlikely that he is ready to put the catching gear up for good at this point.

When your first career postseason home run is a grand slam in the ALDS

Mitch Garver went and took it #GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/2pzXZqecr8
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) October 8, 2023

There just so happens to be a guy by the name of Shohei Ohtani that would slot perfectly into the DH role for the Rangers in 2024 and also give them another starting pitcher beginning in 2025 when his arm rehab is completed. Much internal and external debate on the cost versus gain of this potential signing has been going on for quite some time and will continue until Ohtani ultimately signs with the Rangers or somewhere else. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Rangers are now out on Ohtani, but I would say that both Ohtani and Chris Young tend to do their negotiating on the down low, so stay tuned.

This position of need could be filled with the greatest player on the planet or just another power bat that is past their prime in the field. Either way that the team decides to go, DH will be a point of emphasis for the Rangers.

Next: The elephant in the room for the Rangers

The bullpen. It's been about the bullpen for a while now, and nothing has changed that. Well, most things haven't changed about that. The way that Leclerc and Sborz mowed through the playoffs was stuff of legends. Those two guys showed that when healthy, there isn't a situation that they can't handle. Their playoff performance will dictate how much Young is going to spend on the pen.

One month ago, this happened.pic.twitter.com/6I6yHFtDxy
— Michael Bier (@MichaelJBier) December 1, 2023

Texas Rangers need to add arms to the bullpen at the MLB Winter Meetings

The bullpen will have some new arms added to it, but will it be the expensive left arm of Josh Hader? It has been assumed that since the Rangers have a need in the bullpen and Hader is the best available arm out there, that the team will automatically go get him. That is a real possibility, but there are other teams in search of a lockdown closer, thus making the price tag pretty hefty.

Historically it hasn't been a great idea to pay a closer over the top prices because it can limit the amount of money available for other relivers. Plus, with the uncertainty with the TV money since Bally will be ending its contract early, it is unclear how much money over the next few years the Rangers will have at their disposal.

Although we aren't sure what the names will be, it is a near lock that the Rangers will have some new faces in the bullpen for 2024. As the MLB Winter Meetings get ready to start, some of those names might be known sooner rather than later.

Next: The biggest need for the Rangers

Many would say that addressing the bullpen at the MLB Winter Meetings is the biggest need, but I would argue that it is actually the starting rotation. Yes, the Rangers must address both the bullpen and DH, but without both quality and quantity of starters, this team could be struggling to get wins throughout the regular season. Look, the Rangers already have some great starters on the roster, but one or possibly two more will be needed to make the playoffs, much less repeat as World Series champs.

Starters are going off the board, so the Texas Rangers need one soon

The injury bug hit the Rangers rotation in a huge way last year, but they weren't the only team to have top starters miss extended periods of time. With the all-out approach that pitchers are asked to have these days, injuries are going to happen, it's just a matter of when and how bad. Two of the top free agent starters are already off the board in Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray. Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell are still available along with several other lower tier starters. There is also the possibility of acquiring a starter via a trade.

Young is not only a high intelligent baseball person that sees the current state of the starting pitcher, but he is a former MLB starter himself. He focused on the rotation last offseason, and I wouldn't be surprised if he adds some key pieces to it again this year. By having a deep rotation, the Rangers will be able to help their bullpen by not having to overuse them. It will also give Bruce Bochy the ability to keep not only some long relief guys in the pen, but arms that can be quality starters in a pinch or the long term if need be.

As stated earlier, this isn't going to be a revamp year for the Rangers. There is a solid base of players already in place, but with a few of the right additions at DH, the bullpen, and rotation, 2024 has the potential to be yet another fun summer in Arlington.

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